Top ten score board: part two

Posted on Wed Jan 12th, 2022 @ 7:37am by

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Marine Holodeck combat training simulator
Timeline: Season 5: Episode 3: CAPETOWN
540 words - 1.1 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

Winston, stood in the simulator access port. He was dressed like normal, his work uniform, was a tough camouflage uniform with lots of pockets. He hesitated, breathing deep. Winston finally pushed the activate button, starting the training scenario. He walked through the door. It was the armory. He walked over to his slot, grabbed the backpack, Vest, and equipment bundle. Having done this so much, he was quickly dressed out. checking to ensure that his equipment was secure, he did the conscious checklist. Finishing, he exited the armory through the door with a sign saying "Exit if you dare!!!"

Winston wondered which person had the sarcastic sense of humor. Ed entered the archway, looking around, hand on the flap of his combat pistol holster. It was oversized, with many modifications. Far too many, some said. Ed had a philosophy, do not pull your weapon unless; One, you intend to use it, or two you are on parade. This was not a parade. the Access corridor was dark, with a flashing red alert light strobing in the distance. It looked like a bridge of some kind. The lettering was alien, the control surfaces were larger. He could fly most anything in a pinch, not that he wanted to land in a class five hurricane. There were no bodies, just a green mucus-like fluid that seemed to be dripping on everything. He looked for signs that the bodies had been moved. There were no signs of anything being dragged, and or violence. His first impulse was to pull out a tricorder, but technology, could be deceived, and had a tendency to give away the presence of the user.

Ed looked over at the access panel that led off of the bridge. It was ajar! He followed the trail of slime or ooze. Whoever programmed this simulation definitely had a flair for the dramatic. He gently pushed on the access hatch. It slid open slowly. The best place for a trap was in the common access points... Like high-traffic hatchways. Careful to step well away from the common footpath, he stepped well to the side of the hatch, and listed for responses. There was no change in the ambiance sounds. the low-level background noise of machinery that kept the ship alive, and protected the people that lived on it.

He heard the sound of a splat, like a huge glob of slime hitting the floor. He looked up, saw large teeth. His reactions time, allowed him to get the pistol out of its holster, point it up and try to pull the trigger. The Teeth closed around him...

The buzzer went off indicating failure of the drill, and end of the simulation. He looked up at the scoreboard. 32 percent, at least he was improving... He sighed, then spoke. " Suggestions?", he asked the ceiling.

A disembodied voice said, "A weapon in a holster, is as useless as the one left-back on the shuttle. Do not count on your fast reaction times to save you. You are slower than two-thirds of the dangerous fauna out there! The good news is that your ego still fits in the combat drop shuttle. Unlike some others, you still have a long way to go. Restart simulation!"



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